DU is suspected to be used in Gaza...

[CTuttle]

Depleted uranium found in Gaza victims

Medics tell Press TV they have found traces of depleted uranium in some Gaza residents wounded in Israel's ground offensive on the strip.

Norwegian medics told Press TV correspondent Akram al-Sattari that some of the victims who have been wounded since Israel began its attacks on the Gaza Strip on December 27 have traces of depleted uranium in their bodies.

The report comes after Israeli tanks and troops swept across the border into Gaza on Saturday night, opening a ground operation after eight days of intensive attacks by Israeli air and naval forces on the impoverished region.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned on Sunday that the wide-ranging ground offensive in the Gaza Strip would be "full of surprises."

A ground offensive in the densely-populated Gaza is expected to drastically increase the death toll of the civilian population.

The latest assaults bring the number of Palestinians killed to over 488 with 2790 others wounded. The UN says that about 25 percent of the casualties were civilian deaths - including at least 34 children.

[billyoc]

1. "I got them from my rich uncle"

[babylonsister]

2. Coming from an Iranian newspaper funded by the Iranian gov't?

Color me skeptical.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Press_TV

[CTuttle]

4. Read beyond that fact...

Under the 'criticism' section... "Macleans, however, goes on to say that "most of Press TV's news reports are factually accurate."

A pretty potent lineup of talent is running the show...! :hi:

[tekisui]

5. Press TV is always

a bit over the top, and rarely is in agreement with other new outlets. I take there reports with a hefty grain of salt, or ignore them completely.

[CTuttle]

7. If you read their mission statement...

Their aim is not to drink from the same Kool Aid tainted vat the rest of the 'Fawning Corporate Media' guzzle from...! Over the top...? Maybe...! :hippie:

[Double T]

3. Let's hope this isn't true. I thought that is WHY THEY got rid of Saddam.........

so he couldn't do things like this.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. Our government has used DU for years

in Bosnia, the first gulf War, heavily in the "bunker buster" bombs in Afghanistan, so no surprise that Israel is using it also.
Widely know open secret..
See the Project Censored web page and google DU weapons.

The Iraqi Dr. who was going to talk bout the 600 % increase in leukemia among Iraqi children was not allowed to enter the US last year.
Naturally enough, DU does not distinguish between military or civilian people. Our troops are getting very exposed.

Lots of info. on web for those who care to look at the horrific implications of this stuff.

[CTuttle]

8. Beaucoup of our troops that have handled it....

Are experiencing abnormal cancer clusters that DoD is suppressing...

:grr: :nuke:

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. DOD tried its dammnest to covr up Gulf War 'syndrome",

delegating it to the "conspiracy theory" dungeon.
Now the truth is coming to light.
too slowly.

[Recursion]

10. Depleted uranium has no relation to nuclear or radiological weapons

It's a very dense metal that is used to knock holes in bunkers, tanks, etc. It's toxic, but it's less radioactive than bricks.

[CTuttle]

12. That's quite a stretch...

Considering that it is uranium...! From wiki's DU...

"Depleted uranium munitions are controversial because of unanswered questions about potential long-term health effects. DU is less toxic than other heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury, and is only very weakly radioactive because of its long half-life.<4> While any radiation exposure has risks, no conclusive epidemiological data have correlated DU exposure to specific human health effects such as cancer.<5> However, studies using cultured cells and laboratory rodents continue to suggest the possibility of leukemogenic, genetic, reproductive, and neurological effects from chronic exposure.<6> In addition, the UK Pensions Appeal Tribunal Service in early 2004 attributed birth defect claims from a February 1991 Gulf War combat veteran to depleted uranium poisoning.<7><8> A 2005 epidemiology review concluded: "In aggregate the human epidemiological evidence is consistent with increased risk of birth defects in offspring of persons exposed to DU."<9>"

:eyes:

[Statistical]

19. The health risk are valid but so is the comment

DU is NOT used in any nuclear or radiological weapon.

Raw uranium is MORE radiactive than DU.

Take raw uranium (99.27 percent U-238, 0.72 percent U-235, and 0.0055 percent U-234).
U-238 is non radioactive and not useful in nuclear or radiological weapons.

U-235 is the money maker.

When you enrich uranium you seperate out the U-238 and end up with increasing amounts of U-235 (naturally less than 1% by weight).

The "left over" which is mostly U-238 is DU.

Perfect DU would be 100% U-238 and completely non radioactive.
Due to limits of enriching technology some U-235 is left in DU but is has no purpose in nuclear fuel, or weapons since the concentration of U-235 is extremely low.
DU has less radioactive energy than raw uranium.

Simple version:
raw uranium becomes:
1) enriched U-235 = bombs
2) depleted (mostly) U-238 = DU

[Recursion]

21. That's what the "depleted" part means NT

[Statistical]

22. I guess it would be more accurate to call is MDU "mostly depleted urnanium"

The increased risk when compared to say lead, or tungsten comes from the fact that it is not perfectly depleted (i.e. 100% U-238).

[Recursion]

23. Not that I'd want lead or tungsten or molybdenum in my yard either

Pretty much all heavy metals are bad news, toxicity-wise.

[Tesha]

24. You're wrong.

> DU is NOT used in any nuclear or radiological weapon.

You're wrong. In a thermonuclear warhead (an "H-bomb"), you
will find that the thermonuclear fuel is usually surrounded by
a mass of depleted uranium. This allows a three-stage explosion:

o The fission "trigger"
o The "fusion" explosion
o And then, the DU, transmuted by the excess neutrons
from the fusion stage, detonates in a second fission explosion.

The DU actually provides a substantial part of the yield. It's
omitted in "Enhanced radiation" weapons (the so-called "Neutron
bomb").


> Perfect DU would be 100% U-238 and completely non radioactive.

You're also wrong about this. U-238, even pure U-238, is still
radioactive/unstable and has a half-life, albeit long. And "Pure DU"
doesn't exist, of course, so you're probably just trying to obfuscate
here.

Tesha

[Statistical]

25. Semantics....

Sure you can use DU in a bomb to boost the yield but you CAN NOT build a bomb with only DU. You CAN build a bomb without 1 ounce of DU though.

Most things have isotopes doesn't mean they are all equally dangerous.

You could build a house out of pure U-238 and receive a lower dose per year living there then you do from a dental x-ray.
So for all practical purposes the danger from DU comes from the fact that it isn't pure U-238. It may be 99.999999% U-238 but that 0.00001% U-235 IS MORE DANGEROUS than all the U-238 combined.

[Tesha]

26. I see. You're called out on two of your major points and you call it "Semantics".

How pathetic.

Tesha

[DCKit]

14. HIGHLY toxic.

I would't think the Israeli's would be stupid enough to use it so close to home. What's the point of "winning" if all you get is a toxic wasteland and toxic dust being blown into your homeland?

[Recursion]

18. It's stockpiled *in* Israel

Shooting it into Gaza means it's farther away than it was.

[CTuttle]

20. Operative word... *stockpiled*

Having handled all types of ammo in my twenty years of service, the DU is in airtight waterproof canisters that preclude the dispersal of the 'dust' or residue of the DU until it's fired...!

[OffWithTheirHeads]

11. Awww man, I thought they were using Democratic Underground

nt

[methinks2]

13. me too darnit

:fistbump: :fistbump:

[CTuttle]

15. Sorry, I guess I should've spelled it out...!

:rofl: :fistbump:

[methinks2]

16. a little humor is helpful

sometimes this subject can become so painful . . .
:toast:

[methinks2]

17. hey that's a good idea

let the democrats fix the mess. how about we just let the moms fix the mess. I'll take everyone's toys away until they learn how to place nice.